The Republic of the Congo has suffered four consecutive conflicts, in 1993-

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1 Congo (NPDDR, ) Context Conflict The Republic of the Congo has suffered four consecutive conflicts, in , 1997, , and Essentially, these conflicts resulted from the fight for political power and general instability in the country since independence in Dennis Sassou Nguesso ruled the Republic of the Congo from In 1992, Pascal Lissouba won elections for the presidency, but in 1997 Sassou Nguesso returned to government in a violent manner with help from Angola. The fight for control of the government developed into a cycle of conflict with confrontations occurring between political factions. In the latest conflict, 15,000 persons died, predominantly from the Pool region in the south. The Ninja militias, who have fought the government, reside in the Pool region. 1 Peace Process In November 1999, through mediation from the president of Gabon, the Republic of the Congo signed a Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, and a month later, a Ceasefire Agreement. In January 2002, the country approved a new constitution, and in March of the same year, fighting resumed between the armed forces and the Ninja militias for a year. In August 2002, a transitional government was created. In April 2003, 2,300 Ninjas surrendered their arm after signing a peace accord in March. 2 On the Tranistional Justice matter, in November 1999, after signing the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, the government of the Republic of the Congo offered a general amnesty for all the war activity which occurred in different conflicts throughout the country since In August 2003, the National Assembly approved an amnesty for the Ninjas, militias, and mercenaries who had participated in these conflicts, with the agreement that human rights abuses committed after 2000 would not be investigated. 3 Security Sector Reform Security sector reform has entailed a reorganization of the military, gendarme, and national police. Out of a total 30,000 ex-combatants, 6,000 belonged to the Armed Forces. Persons in the military with no basic level of education, who fail to meet the minimum age requirement, or who are not physically fit for military work are to be disarmed and demobilized. 4 Other Disarmament Initiatives Minister of Defence General J. Yvon said in April 2007 a large number of illegal arms in circulation constitute a security risk, particularly for elections, scheduled for June and July There are 34,000-40,000 illegal small arms in the Republic of Congo, mostly found in the Pool region. 5 Type of DDR Groups to demobilize Implementing bodies Budget Timeline Status / synopsis Basic facts Summary DDR in the Republic of Congo is administered by the National Programme of Demobilisation, Disarmament, and Reinsertion (NPDDR). It involves bilateral demobilization of militias for post-war security sector reform. 30,000 ex-combatants of various militia groups National Commission for Demobilization and Reintegration (CONADER) $25 million From December 2005 to December 2008 The MDRP says 11,869 ex-combatants have so far demobilized, or 39 percent of the overall anticipated number. Population: 64,704,000 Food emergency: Yes IDP: 7,800 Refugee population: 19,734 GDP (dollars): 7,645,842,432 Per capita income (dollars): 2,750 IDH: 0,619 (130th) Military population: 10,000 (armed forces); 2,000 (paramilitaries) Arms Embargo: No Disarmament is the responsibility of the NPDDR. In January 2008, a second Project for the Collection of Weapons (known by its French acronym PCAD II) launched and expected to run until June In November 2006, the UNDP temporarily postponed arms collection to fix provisioning difficulties and delays in the distribution of equipment to ex-combatants surrendering arms. 7 The Armed Forces resumed arms collection in January 2008, with help from the NPDDR and $2 million from Japan. 1 Gonsolin, Congo: Country Briefing 2 CICS, DDR and Human Security in Congo Brazzaville, p CICS, Ibid. 4 CICS, ibid. 5 Xinhua, August 27, Gonsolin, op. cit. 7 RW, October 20, To cite this report: Caramés, A., Congo (PNDDR, ), in A. Caramés and E. Sanz, DDR Analysis of Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR) Programmes in the World during Bellaterra: School for a Culture of Peace, 2009, pp

2 Background to DDR A variety of sometimes overlapping initiatives linked to one phase or other of DDR have launched since Chart 01. Antecedents and results Date Event Actors Results January 2000 July December 2002 Creation of an agreement oversight committee, which ran a broad initiative to buy back weapons and register some of the many existing combatants. At the time, the government proposed registering and demobilizing as many as 22,000 ex-combatants of the Ninja, Cocoye, and Cobra militias, and collecting some 71,500 weapons. Creation of a new ex-combatant disarmament project involving weapons collection, destruction, and a component for reintegration and micro-projects. Government of the Republic of Congo UNDP and IOM Only 6,500 arms and approximately 15,000 ex-combatants were registered in 2000 (though not demobilized or reintegrated). Individuals received $20, for an overall program cost of $300,000. In late 2002, some 11,000 ex-combatants received partial assistance for reintegration. The assistance, however, was interrupted for a year in 2002 due to renewed fighting between the Ninja militia and government. In the end, 11,140 weapons (3,100 small arms and 8,000 grenades and explosives) were destroyed. By late 2002, a total 8,019 ex-combatants officially received reintegration services by way of 2,610 micro-projects valued at $3.6 million, an average of $448 per combatant. October 2001 Creation of a new reintegration project for three militias containing 3,800 excombatants, with $5 million from the World Bank. High Commissioner for the Reinsertion of Ex-Combatants (HCREC) and the World Bank The High Commissioner opened an office in the capital Brazzaville and five regional branches funding 1,505 micro-projects for 3,732 ex-combatants, at an average cost per combatant of $270. Other sources cite 2,417 projects for 6,658 ex-combatants, of which only 1,130 were from the highly conflictive region of Pool. 500 ex-combatants received assistance for reintegration, totalling 16,500 individuals reintegrated. April 2003 DDR valuing 730,000 euros for 1,000 members of the Ninja militia in Pool. European Union The initiative launched in 2004 with the surrender, by Ninja leader Reverend Ntoumi, of one cannon. Shortly thereafter, however, Ntoumi placed new conditions, which were unacceptable to the government, on the disarmament of his combatants. After a year without progress, the EU withdrew its funding. The initiative ended in July-August 2005 after 478 combatants were demobilized and 478 weapons and 3,632 munitions were surrendered and destroyed. August 2004 Launch of a second DDR process, known as "Disarmament for Development," to target the Ninjas, with a budget of 2 million euros. UNDP It is estimated that 16,000 Ninjas have not participated in any kind of DDR. March 2005 Start of a special DDR process for 450 Ninjas, overlooked entirely by the government at a cost of $430,000 for three months of work. Government of the Republic of Congo Although a commission of the government and Ninja militia operated jointly to deal with disarmament and social reintegration, because DDR has suffered repeat setbacks, it has generated a climate of insecurity that endangers the already weak peace process. In February 2005, development donors met in Paris to review the Republic of Congo s National Programme of DDR. The Government of the Republic of Congo said the program should focus on five key areas: disarmament, demobilization and social and economic reinsertion, child soldiers ($352,000 from the United States), conflict prevention, and security sector reform. 60

3 Program Design Type and Designation of DDR DDR in the Republic of Congo is administered by the National Programme of Demobilisation, Disarmament, and Reinsertion (NPDDR). It involves bilateral demobilization of militias for post-war security sector reform. Implementing bodies The national executive is the National Commission for Demobilization and Reinsertion, CONADER. Its role is varied: it determines government policy and strategies for oversight of program implementation, it overlooks programming, and it approves the budget of the High Commissioner. HCREC, the High Commissioner for the Reinsertion of Ex-Combatants, was created in The UNDP, ILO, and IOM have worked with HCREC. Four units were established to oversee operations. These include an Information and Communication Management Unit, a Finance and Accounting Management Unit, a Contracts Adjudication Unit, and an Evaluation and Control Unit. Graph 01. Implementing bodies and functions Project Execution Source: World Bank, 2005 Unit offices are located in Dolisie, Sibiti, Nkayi, Kinkala, Brazzaville, Gamboma, and Owando. The MDRP applied experiences acquired from DDR in the Great Lakes region of Africa. By studying the Great Lakes, the MDRP found that successful DDR required commitment from the parties to the conflict, effective demobilization, combating reintegration difficulties, focusing assistance, creating long-term employment, facilitating social reintegration for extended families, preventing violence and the stigmatization of ex-combatants, reunifying youth with families, and coordinating and decentralizing institutions. 9 The UNDP and IOM assist the MDRP by supporting the NPDDR, Arms for Development, and youth employment initiatives. Guiding Principles Disarmament CONADER HIGH COMMISSIONER JOINT HIGH COMMISSIONER National Coordinator Economic Reinsertion Social Reinsertion The NPDDR s main objective is to contribute to the peace process, promote political stability, promote national security in the region, advance national reconciliation, and support social and economic reconstruction. More specifically, the national program looks to disarm individuals bearing illegal weapons, disarm ex-combatants and reinsert them into social and economic life, prevent re-mobilizations of self-demobilized ex-combatants, integrate child soldiers and disabled ex-combatants, prevent and regulate conflicts to redirect violence, and contribute to defence and security sector reform. The first three goals are overlooked by the High Commissioner, the UNDP manages disarmament, and the Armed Forces deal with security sector reform. This work is centred on the regional level, with consideration given to the insecurity plaguing the entire region of the Great Lakes as a result of illegal cross-border arms trafficking. Participants The data on past and future recipients of programming is contradictory, however a realistic figure of the number of combatants to demobilize is probably 30, ,000 ex-combatants were demobilized in two programs run from July 2000 to August 2004, and 5,000 rebels from Pool, together with 6,000 members from the Armed Forces, were demobilized in a program in Combatants come in five varieties: regular; irregular members of the Ninjas, Cocoyes, and Cobras; self-defence and auxiliary units; regular combatants from Angola, Rwanda, Burundi, and the DR Congo, and an estimated 4,000 soldiers from the DR Congo and more than 1,000 Rwandans in the Republic of Congo; and irregular combatants from Angola, Rwanda, Burundi, and the DR Congo. The UN estimates around 1,500 youth are held in the ranks of armed groups. The World Bank MDRP puts the number at 1,800. According to official figures, 5 percent of combatants are women, though experience suggests the numbers are higher. Eligibility Criteria To qualify for programming in the Republic of Congo, an individual must have participated in armed combat or have provided some form of logistical support during the civil war; have indicated a desire to be trained or participate in micro-projects for employment; not have other forms of remunerative work; not have participated in either the UNDP-IOM Collection and Reintegration program run from 2000 to 2002 or the HCREC s Reintegration Project. 9 World Bank, op. cit. 10 Gonsolin, op. cit. 61

4 Evolution Budget A budget of $25 million, $17 million from the World Bank, was allotted for a 2006 integration program targeting 30,000 combatants. Combatants received on average $613 per person for every $833 of program expense. The budget, distributed in phases, is indicated in the chart. Chart 02. Budget by stages (WB contribution) Phase Millions $ % Demobilization and transition 2.4 (1.5) 9.6 (6) Socioeconomic reintegration 16.5 (10.8) 66.0 (43.2) Reintegration support for communities 1.0 (0.65) 4.0 (2.6) Assistance for special groups 1.0 (0.65) 4.0 (2.6) Violence prevention 0.5 (0.33) 2.0 (1.3) Other 3.6 (2) 14.4 (8) Estimated total Source: World Bank, Republic of Congo Emergency Demobilization and Reintegration Project. Japan, through an agreement with the UNDP signed in February 2007, agreed to give $2 million for disarming and reintegrating ex-combatants. This disarmament and reintegration is part of the Project for the Collection of Arms, which has collected some 1,000 arms and expected to collect as many as 15,000 arms by late The initiative also received $17 million from the World Bank and $2.6 million from the European Commission. 11 Remaining funds ($3.4 million) were to be provided by the Government of the Republic of Congo and bilateral donors. 12 Schedule A variety of initiatives, some lasting months and others years, have launched since The World Bank PCAD I and PCAD II programs were supposed to begin in late 2005 and conclude in 2008, running a total 36 months, but did not start until June The NPDDR planned to remain active until February 2009, having prolonged three projects in mid-implementation. It remains to be determined whether the schedule will be reorganized given that programming was delayed considerably. Phases Demobilization Demobilization commenced with a payment of $150 per ex-combatant, paid monthly over three months, to cover necessities. Regular Armed Forces were barracked while armed opposition groups were placed in designated cantonments. Identity cards were issued and other information was processed. Material on health and HIV/AIDS prevention was distributed. 13 The government put in place a pilot project for the reintegration of 115 former child soldiers in Brazzaville in March The Office of Government Work oversaw the onemonth project, which involved giving youth access to formal education and promoting HIV/AIDS prevention. The project, amounting to $312,000, was funded by the United States. 15 While waiting for reintegration money (only 2,417 of 7,778 ex-combatants received financial support) and for negotiations to link DDR to agricultural initiatives, demobilization in the Republic of Congo concluded in 2007 after having registered all demobilized combatants. In 2007, focus was given to reintegrating 10,000 ex-combatants, but this was achieved for just 2,417, though 9,160 received medical and psychosocial assistance. CONADER planned to remain active until August 2009 with extensions to three projects. The MDRP says 11,869 ex-combatants, 39 percent of the overall expected numbers, have demobilized. In January 2004, 1,875 child soldiers, 375, or 20 percent, of them girls, were registered for demobilization. In September 2005, Japan gave $1 million to the UNDP for a project called Community Action for the Reintegration of Youth Ex-Combatants. The project aimed to reach 15,000 at-risk youth. The German Technical Cooperation also committed, until 2009, money for reintegrating child soldiers. Reintegration Reintegration in the Republic of Congo is both social and economic in nature. In terms of social reintegration, the HCREC allocated communities $25,000 each for rehabilitation as part of current social or cultural projects, in a preparatory stage involving input from representatives of civil society. In terms of economic reintegration, macro-projects were planned to create opportunities in agriculture, fishing, cattle rising, and crafts, with assistance from the HCREC and ILO IRIN, February 28, CICS, op. cit. 13 Gonsolin, op. cit. 14 Gonsolin, op. cit. 15 IRIN, March 24, World Bank, op. cit. 62

5 Bibliography and Sources Consulted Biddle, I.; Demetriou, S.; Muggah, R. (2002). Small Arms Availability, Trade and Impacts in the Republic of Congo, Small Arms Survey. Bugnion, C.; Maughan, P.; Muggah, R. (2003). The Long Shadow of War: Prospects for DDR in the Republic of Congo, Small Arms Survey. CICS (2008), DDR and Human Security in Congo Brazzaville. Mini case study. University of Bradford, at < ddr-humansecurity.org.uk/images/ddr%20mini%20case%20study%20roc.pdf>. Gonsolin, H. (2006). Congo: Country Briefing, UNDP Congo. World Bank (2004). Republic of Congo Emergency Demobilization and Reintegration Project [on-line], MDRP, at < (2006). Technical Annex [on-line], MDRP, at < TechAnnex_0506.pdf>.. (2007). 4th Quarter Progress Report (October to December), MDRP, at < QPR-MDRP.pdf>. Glossary CONADER: Commision National pour la Desmobilisation et la Reinsertion EU: GTZ: European Union Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit HCREC: Haut Commissionnaire pour la Réinsertion des Ex Combattants IDP: ILO: IOM: Internal Displaced Person International Labour Organisation International Organisation for Migrations MDRP: Multi-Country Demobilization and Reintegration Program NGO: Non Governmental Organisation PCAD: Projet de Collecte des Armes de guerre pour le développement PNDDR: Programme National du DDR UNDP: United Nations Development Programme WB: World Bank 63